Details about the offer

Specific conditions: A in Information and Communication Technology, A in Mathematics, A in Physics

Have you accepted the offer? yes

Have you applied to other universities you consider very close, ‘on par’ or even better than oxbridge? (Ivies, Sorbonne, LSE..others for different subjects) yes

Have you received offer(s) from them? N/A

Have you met the offer? offer met

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

I am very academically able and get good grades, so I thought i could get in. The reputation was also important to me and I really wanted to be able to have an Oxford degree when seeking employment.

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

Oxford was more convenient, I could get to it easily by car or train. I also liked the atmosphere a lot in Oxford, although i didn’t visit Cambridge.

Why did you choose this college/make an open application?

I went for an open day and quite liked the atmosphere there. It also has good facilities and is close to the centre of town and the science area.

Preparation

Did your school/college give you any extra tuition or help prior to your interview or application? yes

I had one practice interview with the headmistress, which in fact turned out to be completely different from the real interviews.

Do you have any advice for future applicants in terms of preparation?

Brush up on your mathematics and logic. The specimen papers for the Maths test are nothing like the real thing, so be well prepared for anything.
A good thing to revise, even if you haven’t studied it, is permutations and combinations, these seem to appear a lot.

Interview

Did you have to sit any pre-interview exams (LNAT/BMAT/..)? no

Did you have to submit any written work prior to the interview? no

Did you have to take any exams as part of your interview(s)? yes

I had to take the Mathematics exam which is taken by all students studying Maths based subjects. I prepared by revising all of my A-Level maths work. I had only done single maths so I could only revise those topics which we had covered.

How was/were in general your interview(s)?

I had four interviews, two for Mathematics (one at St John’s and one at Somerville) and two for computer science (again, one at St John’s and one at Somerville). All of them, apart from the Computer Science one (because I couldn’t find the room and got there late) started off with some general discussion about why I wanted to study Computer Science and why I wanted to come to Oxford, then went on to logic/mathematical problsm.

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

Why do you want to study computer Science? Why do you want to come to Oxford? Plus logical problems involving such things as geometric series’, combinations and probability.

What did you wear to your interview(s), and why?

I wore a smart blue shirt with pen in breast pocket, black jeans with belt and dark school shoes. This outfit combined with neat hair and glasses made me look quite proffessional and well organised without looking like I overdressed for the interview.

Impressions

What was your general impression of the college that you applied to/any others you visited?

St Johns: Aesthetically pleasing with old buildings and lots of lawn. Good facilities including common rooms, bar and video room. The students seemed to be friendly and organised a lot of enterntainment for the candidates.
Somerville: I did not see much of this college and what I did see was only by night, but it appears much more modern. Beware, the room numbering seems to bear no resemblence to any number sequence I am fammiliar with.

If seen, please describe the college accommodation eg. size of rooms, facilities.

The accomodation at St john’s was good, the room I had, in the North Quad, was relatively small, about 15ft by 10ft, equipped with wardrobe, bed, desk, chest of drawers, fridge, radiator + heater, chairs, shelves and sink.
There were toilets on every floor and showers on every other floor.

How was the food provided by the college?

Good

Beware, one night we were served stilton and broccoli soup, which I ate, but most people turned their noses up at. Don’t try asking the waiters/waitresses in formal hall what the food is, they will either come out with ‘food’ or ‘I don’t know’

How did you find the tutors in the college?

They were right where they were supposed to be, sitting in their rooms. 🙂 The tutors at St Johns were OK, the Computer Science tutor was quite nice, but the Maths tutor was not that friendly. The totors at Somerville were very nice, they were friendly and we managed to have some informal discussion as well.

Generally, what were the college students like (from what you saw of them)?

The ones at St Johns seemed alright, although we got very little chance to talk to them. The Somerville students appeared to be very helpful and provided services such as escorting visitors to the correct interview room.

Final stage

Please describe what happened when you received the letter/the call telling you whether you had a place or not.

I had left before the postman arrived on that Wednesday morning. When I got home, I found two letters on my table. One was from St John’s, the other from Somerville. I opened the St John’s one first, a fairly thin envelope. It said ‘I regret that we are unable to offer you a place at St Johns…’ at which point my heart sank, but it continued ‘I understand, however, that another college is likely to offer you such a place and if you do not receive such an offer, please write to me’.
The one from Somerville was thicker and contained serveral sheets. It read ‘I am pleased, on behalf of Somerville College to offer you a place to read Computer Science’. It also detailed the offer requirements and the costs of studying at Oxford.

Looking back

If you were to re-live that year of your life again, would you still apply?

Absolutely, even if I hadn’t been given an offer, the interview experience and practice working under pressure will prove invaluable in the future. Knowing that you got in is also the best feeling in the world.

What advice do you have for potential applicants based on your experiences?

Make sure you choose carefully your college of preference. Its a good idea if its one you like. You may not get in to that college, but at the very least, you’ll probably be spending a few days there for interviews. Also, fill in the ‘Additional Information’ section, its another chance to write about how good you are.

Try to get as much interview practice in as possible and brush up on your Maths, if you are taking a mathematics course.
Even though it says not to dress up too smartly for interviews in the little booklet they give out, make sure that you look neat and professional, as first impressions can make a lot of difference.
Go to as many college open days as possible and try to meet the tutors that will be interviewing you later on.
Find out where the interview room is in plenty of time to be able to get there, so if you get lost, you won’t be late.

Suggested Resources:

Gain access to tutors at the leading Oxbridge Applications Consultancy firm